Two Bills Drive

‘He avoided the immediate error Williams made … self-confidence that came off as arrogance and spawned some ridiculous predictions. But the main reason Williams is no longer coach of the Bills is that he did a poor job of selecting assistants. They weren’t all duds, of course. But for every Dick LeBeau and Jerry Gray there was a Kevin Gilbride and Mike Sheppard. There were just too many Pat Reuls and Ronnie Vinklareks … overmatched assistants in charge of critical positions.’

‘”I am very excited to return to Pittsburgh and rejoin coach Bill and a defense that plays hard,” said LeBeau.’

‘”Dick LeBeau is a quality coach who is well respected not only here in Pittsburgh but around the National Football League,” said Cowher. “Dick’s ability to communicate to and teach players, along with his knowledge of our defense, make it exciting to reunite with him.”‘

‘“Pittsburgh is like going home,” LeBeau said Friday. “I was at the Pitt basketball game Monday night and 25 people came up to me and wished me good luck and said, ‘Come on back.’ I thought, ‘This is pretty neat.””

‘”Our philosophy is basically this,” the 42-year-old Mularkey said. “It’s a methodical, time-of-possession, wear-you-down approach, which may not happen until a certain point, but you will wear down. Try to control the football. I like to think your offense can be your best defense if you can keep your defense off the field. Control the football and score points in the red zone. I’m not a big stat guy and we were low in ranking in the red zone. But we were down there a lot. That’s not a bad problem to have. Controlling the football is something that I think is important in this league.”‘

‘”I only know of him from afar and by reputation, but just from watching what the Steelers have done, I know he’s a guy who is very creative but he makes things fairly simple for his players. The Steelers have been a hard offense to nail down for opposing defenses, but he still does it within a system that makes it easy for the players to execute.”‘

‘”In today’s football, you really have to understand what you have and what you don’t have,” Donahoe said. “You sort of have to coach to your strengths – not sort of, you do. That was a criticism that I felt was justified with our team this year. I’m not sure we played to the strengths of our team.”‘

‘A real tough guy doesn’t need to advertise. Something tells me that’s who walked in to town Thursday, a genuinely tough, secure man. Mularkey looks you straight in the eye when he talks to you. You sense that beneath the low-key exterior is a contained fury, a brimming self-confidence.’

‘Several former Buffalo Bills will be on hand Sunday in the Buffalo Marriott, 1340 Millersport Highway in Amherst, to watch football with fans and raise money for the Buffalo Bills Alumni Foundation.’

‘It also appears that Cowher will hire either 66-year-old Dick LeBeau or 54-year-old Greg Blache as his new defensive coordinator. Both were interviewed by Cowher on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.’

‘Interestingly enough, the Steelers are caught in something of a bidding war with the Bills for LeBeau’s services. LeBeau, a former defensive coordinator under Cowher, was assistant head coach in Buffalo last season and helped the Bills draw up their defensive game plans. He is currently not under contract with the Bills, but Mularkey has expressed an interest in having him return.’

‘”We wanted to get a head coach who we felt could be a strong leader. Toughness was an issue with us,” said Donahoe. “The other thing is that in today’s football you have to understand what you have and don’t have and you have to coach to your strengths. That was a criticism that I felt was justified with our team this year. I’m not sure we played to the strengths of our team, and I feel confident that with Mike we’ll do that.”‘

‘”We’re probably going to take a step back (by simplifying things) to take two steps forward offensively here. I know they had great success two years ago. Once the staff is put in place, and the guys who come in here can look at the tapes like I have and give their opinion on it, (we’ll go forward). But no, I think you can win with Drew Bledsoe.”‘

‘Those who saw Mularkey play tight end at the University of Florida and for nine years in the NFL – six with the Minnesota Vikings and three with the Pittsburgh Steelers – will tell you that it takes a lot more than frostbite conditions or broken bones to get him flustered. Though reared in Miami Dolphins country (Bills fans will be pleased to hear that he didn’t root for the Fish), he is more Rust Belt than South Beach.’

‘The length of Mularkey’s deal is also a team record. His predecessor, Gregg Williams, had a three-year deal that averaged about $1 million a season but he originally was offered four- and five-year packages.’